


faithful 256

by Acological



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: BAMF Lucy Heartfilia, F/F, Maybe - Freeform, Stronger Lucy AU, Team Bonding, im gonna absolutely devote myself to this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23529934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acological/pseuds/Acological
Summary: in a world where secrets are nonexistent amongst lucy and her spirits.aka the au where the zodiac fall into easy trust with lucy during her one year travel away from the heartfilia mansion, and gives her further knowledge on celestial spirit magic.
Relationships: Lucy Heartfilia/Erza Scarlet, Lucy Heartfilia/Juvia Lockser, Natsu Dragneel & Gray Fullbuster & Lucy Heartfilia & Erza Scarlet
Comments: 29
Kudos: 258





	1. the one where fate begins

_Dear Mom,_

_I haven’t written a letter to you in a while, and really, the only one I can blame is myself. It’s been about two years, hasn’t it? I didn’t mean to stop writing to you for such a long time, but being on the road and training with my spirits has really made me forget some things. Of course, I could never forget about you, Mom. Aquarius would kill me if I did. She says HI, by the way._

_I know it’s silly to write that as if we were talking over a lacrima, but to be honest, this is the only way i can stop myself from crying. I’ve reached Hargeon, and a two day trek south of here resides Fairy Taill. I’m almost there mom. I wonder if the girl I told you about is still a member there? Regardless, I’m sure she’ll pop up, and if I see her, I’ll make sure to thank her with all my heart._

__ _Even the thought of standing in front of the guild doors fills me with excitement I haven’t felt in so long. I wonder how hard it is to join the guild? Would I have to take an entrance exam of sorts? I hope not._

_I’m sorry for the short letter this time, but I’m so on edge over being able to go to Fairy Tail that anything and everything I’ve wanted to write to you these past two years have escaped my mind, but don’t worry Mom! I’ll write more to you as soon as I remember them. For now, your daughter will be making a short stop to the local Magic Shop, and then heading straight towards Fairy Tail!_

_Sincerely,_

_Lucy_

Lucy stared at the finish letter tiredly, putting the pen down and folding it into an envelope. She stuffed it into her bag and walked out of the inn’s room and into the main lobby.

“Hi, I’d like to check out.”

The attendant turned towards her Lacrima and began typing stuff in, before turning to Lucy briefly and asking, “What room?”

“256.”

* * *

“Welcome, Miss.” Said the old shopkeeper, his old stature being held up by the stableness of the shops counter.

Lucy smiled towards the old man and nodded his way, walking around soon after, looking around.

“Is there anything you need, Miss?” Asked the old man. He leaned over the counter and kept a firm gaze on the blonde, a look in his eyes Lucy wasn’t sure she liked.

“Um, actually,” She walked towards the counter and calmly stared back at the old man, “do you have any gate keys?”

“Gate keys?” He dove behind the counter, “we rarely have mages in this town, but you’re in luck miss, I just got a shipment of new items last week.”

He brought out a box next, shuffling through it before he yelled triumphantly to himself, a silver key glistening in his hand as he pushed himself out of the depths of the box. “Key of the Canis Minor. 20,000 Jewel.”

“Thank you,” she reached out to it, “wait. 20,000 Jewel?”

“As I said, it’s very rare for mages to stop by and find something thats actually of use to their magic.”

“But still, 20k for a silver key?” She glared at him, “sir, do you have any idea the actual value of a silver key, especially one of the _Canis Minor_? This has to be the most popular Celestial Gate key and you have the audacity to charge me 20,000 Jewel for _this?”_

“Now, Miss-,” he tried, his voice fading out as the glare coming from the mage turned far more dangerous than he would have hoped. Lucy threw a small leather pouch on the counter, taking the key and leaving no room for the old man to talk.

“10,000 or else there won’t be any more customers for you to leech off of, _Sir.”_

The old man gulped, nodding reluctantly, his hand nervously edging towards the leather pouch. “Y-yes, of course. 10,000 Jewel for the Canis Minor Key.”

Lucy nodded, her grasp on the key tightening as she walks away.

_Can’t stand these shopkeeps._

* * *

"Happy are you sure about what Nab said?"

"Aye, sir!" A blue cat with wings, Happy, sprouted up into the air, "He said rumors of a Salamander being in Hargeon were being spread around recently."

Natsu grumbled, arms crossed and staring off into the alley, "But I don't smell Igneel anywhere around here."

"Maybe Igneel learned Transformation Magic since he's been away and bought that perfume thing Mira is always obsessed with!"

Natsu's eyes sparkled, "Oh man, imagine that! I wonder what he'd look like. You think he'd be all cool and strong and stuff like Gildarts? GILDARTS WITH WINGS! Happy we gotta go."

He grabbed Happy and rushed off further into the alley, the blue cat being dragged by by his tail. Dodging people and turning corners quite sharply, Natsu stopped abruptly.

A shrill shriek came from the eastern part of the port. Natsu grinned.

"Igneel here we come!"

* * *

A crowd gathered around one of the small docks, the normally empty walkway now filled with screaming girls. Many onlookers, fishermen and sailors alike, stared at the crowd in disgust. Their disturbance to their normally peaceful and quiet port was not welcomed with open arms. Lucy sighed.

“What the hell is going on here?” She muttered, flinching at the harsh gazes the regulars of the port threw at her. She held her hands up and shook her head, wanting any affiliation with the screaming and annoying girls to dissipate. The gazes softened a little, and some redirected their gazes to the more annoying girls. Some stayed, the blonde now catching their eye. She grinned hesitantly, turning her body away from the now intrigued stares.

Tapping one of the girls, Lucy asked, “Hey, what’s going on here?”

“Salamander is here!” The girl all but shrieked.

“Salamander?”

Intrigued, she made her way through the sea of fangirls, making sure not to be too handsy or rude towards any of them.

“Why ladies!” A smooth and rugged voice yelled, “Please do try to keep the fuss down to a minimum, I’m afraid we’re disturbing some of the fishermen here!”

The crowd seemed to scream more at that, and as Lucy made her way through, groaned as one of the girls yelled directly in her ear. Now at the front of the crowd, Lucy glanced up to the man seemingly at the center of this.

He was rather average looking, if Lucy were to be honest. Blue spiky hair with what seemed to be an undercut on his right side, and a tattoo above his right eye, the man reveled in the attention he was getting. She stood up straight and observed him more. _A guy as boring as this is causing the ruckus?_ She thought, _I don’t sense much magic in him either._

Her eyes fell down to his hands. She scoffed.

_A fucking charm spell. How nice of you, Salamander._

Her scoff seemed to have gathered his attention, as he was now currently eyeing her like a piece of meat. “My my, and who do we have here? Such a beautiful specimen such as yourself deserves a personal invitation from me!”

He walked closer, grabbing her hand and kissing it. His lips felt rough. She cringed. “Please, do come to my party, oh Blonde Beauty!"

He smirked at himself, looking at the crowd of girls and winked at Lucy, before a fire carpet seemed to appear below him. “I must be off, dearies! I hope to see you all later. Adieu!”

“Tsk, what an arrogant prick,” She mumbled.

“That wasn’t Igneel.”

She turned to the voice next her.

A teenaged boy, presumably the same age as her, gazed up at the flying man. His hair was undeniably pink, a feature Lucy didn’t quite grasp.

“Dude, you have pink hair?” She blurted.

The guy turned to her and yelled, “It’s salmon!”

“They’re under the same shade, idiot!”

“No they’re not!”

“Yes they are!”

“Aye, sir!” A blue cat with wings floated right next to her.

“Your cat is blue!” She yelled. The two stared at each other, before Lucy grinned and laughed. This whole situation was by far the weirdest thing she had gone through. The pink haired guy stared at his cat, before grinning back at her.

“Man, you’re weird.” He stated, “You ain’t ever seen a flying cat before?”

“They’re not really common house-hold pets anywhere, you know.”

“Happy isn’t a pet!” He looked insulted at that, “He’s my friend!”

Her gaze softened, the words striking a cord in her. “Of course, I’m sorry. My names Lucy, what’s yours?”

“Natsu. My names Natsu.”

“Alright, Natsu.” She patted her belly, “You hungry? Cause I don’t know about you, but I am.”

Natsu opened his mouth, only for his stomach to interrupt him. Lucy laughed.

“Yea..” He murmured, slouched and holding his stomach.

* * *

“So,” Lucy took a bite of her food, gaze never leaving the duo. “Why’re you in Hargeon?”

Natsu and Happy continued to scarf down the food, an answer for the girls question thrown into the mix of burps and clattering of plates. She deadpanned.

"Say that again."

Natsu swallowed down hard, gulping a glass of water down, "I said, we're looking for Igneel!"

"Who the hell is Igneel?"

“Igneel’s a dragon!” Happy exclaimed, for once his face not drowning in the food. Lucy stared at the duo questioningly.

“You thought a dragon would be in Hargeon?”

Natsu and Happy stared at her in sudden realization, the two slowly turning their heads to each other.

“Man, you guys are a different breed, huh?” She muttered.

Happy stared solemnly at his fish, "But the rumors of a Salamander..."

"Most likely, he was faking his identity." Lucy leaned back, "he had on a charm ring. Makes your feelings go haywire and gives you a suddent attachment to the user. He could've been spreading around the rumors to attract more people for his business."

Natsu stared at her, "Business?"

"His boat party tonight? I've heard rumors about it being a sex trafficking ring. Most likely this is how he gets his victims."

Natsu and Happy sat there, looking at Lucy as she dropped the news. The girl looked calm, yet a look of fear flashed in her eyes. She played with her hands, cracking and bending them as she stared out the window. She sighed.

Placing down a bag of jewel, she collected her jacket and stood up, slipping her arm in.

"I gotta go now. Here's the bill for you guys. I'll see you around?"

Natsu took the bag hesitantly, looking back and forth between it and Lucy. Playing with the hem of it, he grinned at Lucy.

"Thanks. I'll definitely see you around. I gotta pay you back, afterall!"

"Aye!"

She smiled and nodded at the two, heading out with a wave.

* * *

Clutching her copy of Sorcerer Weekly, Lucy tossed and turned on the wooden bench.

"Man!" She exclaimed, "Mirajane is seriously pretty in these spreads. I know Fairy Tail has some seriously strong members, but all of them are lookers too! Compared to Mirajane, I doubt I have any chance of joining Fairy Tail now..."

"Nonsense," a voice said, "Fairy Tail would be honored to have a mage as beautiful, and by the look in your eyes earlier, as skilled as you in our guild."

Lucy sat up, surprised by the sudden arrival of the voice. She looked at the intruder, shocked that he was able to find her. "You're... Salamander, right?"

"Of Fairy Tail," he bellowed, "I hear you want to join?"

"You can get me in?" She huffed internally at him, already knowing his schemes and lies. He took the bait, using his magic to form the guild symbol of Fairy Tail. It hovered over the ground next to him, "Of course I can. But you have to do something for me, as well."

"Such as?"

"Come to my party tonight." The fire dissipated, wisps of the flame floating towards her, forming words. The wisps formed into what seemed to be letters. Lucy took one look at them and sighed. "Alright."

He grinned, "I'll see you later then. Dress in your finest attire!”

With that, he summoned his fire carpet and flew off towards the pier, his boat gleaming in the distance. Lucy craned her neck to follow him, glaring at the blue-haired man.

"Fucking scum," she muttered. She grumbled, fumbling with her keys before stopping at one, swiping it in the air. A puff of smoke, along with a doorbell sound, summoned itself simultaneously, disappearing to reveal a tall figure.

"Hey there, _Baby._ What can I do for you today?" He snipped his scissors.

"Hi Cancer. I have something I need you to do.” She smirked, crossing her arms. “ _Very_ special.”

"Anything for you, _Baby._ "


	2. who's gonna pay for this?

"Ease up, darling. I've had the room emptied out of any buffoons. It's only you and I." The blue-haired man claimed, swishing his champagne around with the waves of the sea. Lucy nodded, absentmindedly counting the amount of waves the boat had cruised against. The conscious part of her huffed at the lie, the obvious musty air whipping itself around her nose. Not to mention the faint yetlarge amount of magic power she felt around her. This man took her for a fool, and she was gonna take advantage of that.

"Wonderful," she replied, "I wouldn't want anyone barging in on my precious time with you. You must be so busy, being the Salamander, and all."

He hummed, setting the still full tube of champagne down onto the bolted wooden table. He grabbed an empty tube out of the bottom of the table, now filling it with the obnoxious orange champagne that was also occupying his own glass. He handed it over to Lucy, "It is tiresome. The amount of missions lined up for me is almost absurd!"

"Truly, must be so tiring." She swished the champagne glass around, "especially for a wizard of your caliber, Bora the Prominence."

Bore froze, his gaze locked onto her figure. She smirked, "A sleeping charm, really? Very potent, and brave of you. If you were still a legal mage the council would have already had you in their clutches by now. You're quite...slimey."

"So you're a council goon?" He sneered, "Pity how the pretty ones are always so gungho about justice. Men!"

At the snap of his fingers, waves of big and muscly men immerged from the curtains, all wielding weapons far too dangerous for a boat party. She tsked, sliding her hand down to her gate keys, an action that didn't go unnoticed.

"So you're a Celetial Spirit Mage, huh?" The men advanced, "Not very strong with or without your spirits, now are you?"

He flicked his wrist, a small flame appearing from them. The flame beelined towards her, wrapping itself around her keychain, throwing itself out of the ships many small windows. She heard the splash of her keys hitting the water. The boat lurched.

"You've done it now," She muttered angrily. Bora laughed.

"As if you can do anything to me without your keys!" He twisted his body into a battle-ready stance, "But please, show me your best." ****

Just before she could show him what real fire could do, an explosion destroyed the roof.

The group paused, any animosity between them dissipating as the wood fell. Many of Bora's men coughed, and Lucy herself repressed the urge to sneeze.

The smoke cleared, and with it, came a battle ready Natsu.

"Natsu?"

Natsu looked up, grinning at Lucy. "Hey Lucy, told you I'd find you- blergh."

Natsu doubled over, his face green. He covered his mouth, "This was not- hrmphfg.... a good idea."

"You get sea-sick?"

"No.." He replied weakly, "Vehi..cles."

"He has motion sickness!" Lucy looked up towards the voice and saw Happy, the cat flying in the air with... wings?

"Hold on you have wings?" Happy twirled and flew straight to her, bonking her head in the process. She took this as a yes.

 _A cat with wings?_ She thought, _hold on that sounds familiar..._

“Man Natsu,” Happy floated, “You’re so lame.”

“S-shu..t up, Hap..py” Natsu gagged, gathering every strength in his body to move. His legs carried him up, shaking in the process. “T-take..Lucy out of here.”

“Shouldn’t Happy get _you_ outta here?” Lucy questioned, “You look horrible.”

Happy latched onto her back, wings appearing from his own back and flew up with her. Lucy sighed. “Natsu’s got it, Lucy! I think we should try and destroy the boat though…”

“Yeah, I got you. Drop me over there will ya?” She pointed further down, the glistening of her keys, even in the moonlight, were noticeable enough for anyone on that boat to see. Happy complied, his speed getting faster. He dropped her unceremoniously, and Lucy yelped as she dove straight towards the sea.

* * *

_I’m gonna kill a cat_ , Lucy thought. She swam further down to the sea floor and grabbed her keys, shuffling through them until she got to the one she had in mind. She swam up, grabbing Happy’s tail.

“You stupid cat,” She growled. Happy yelped, hugging her instinctively. She tsked and swiped her key.

Behind the doorbell sound and cloud of smoke emerged a mermaid. Holding a rather antique vase and sporting a calm yet pissed expression, Aquarius floated right above Happy and Lucy, looking down on them like fishermen who had caught her tail in a fish net. She sneered. Lucy grinned.

“Aquarius, could you sweep that yacht over there for me?” She asked. A wave swallowed her in response.

“How’s that for your answer, twerp.” Aquarius replied, her tail splashing water onto Lucy’s face. The girl sputtered.

“I asked nicely!”

“I don’t _care_ if you asked nicely or not, either way you still interrupted my date with my boyfriend!”

“You’re _always_ on a date with your boyfriend, for christ sake!”

“That’s what happens when you’re dating someone, idiot!”

Happy looked at the bickering duo for a second, drooling at Aquarius’ tail and whimpering at Lucy’s glare. He’d never felt more conflicted.

“Um..” He whimpered. Lucy stopped and looked at him, seemingly forgetting his existence. Her mouth opened wide.

“Fuck!” She yelled, turning to Aquarius abruptly, “Look, let’s chat later but I seriously need you to flood that boat or whatever to the pier, okay? My friend’s stuck on there with a bunch of woman enslaving men, and he has motion sickness.”

Aquarius flicked her hair, the waves moving along with its motion. In the blink of an eye, Lucy and Happy had been swept to the shore, the boat now settled quite nicely into the concrete pier. Aquarius scoffed at the look in the twos faces.

“Anyways, brat, I have a date to go back to. Don’t call unless you’re dying or you’re pissed. You’re boring either way.” With that, Aquarius vanished, the splashing of water onto Lucy’s face her final goodbye for the day.

“I don’t think you should call that spirit anymore, Lucy…” Happy mumbled. Lucy sighed.

“I wish I could do that, Happy. I really do.”

* * *

Natsu groaned, pushing himself up from all the rubble. He scratched his head, looking back at the ocean he was just suffering on. “Man, where did that wave come from?”

“Natsu!”

Natsu turned around to see Happy flying towards him, Lucy slouched under his paws. He grinned, "Hey guys! Was the wave you, Lucy?"

"Yeah it was," She landed right next to him, "Sorry about that, Aquarius doesn't have any control."

"Aquarius?" Lucy nodded, sitting down on the rubble. She looked at Natsu, opening her mouth to explain, but got interrupted when a pile of rubble started to fall in itself. Bora stood up from it, several of his men standing up behind him.

"Dude, you're still here?" Bora sneered, holding his hand up and summoning a stronger flame.

"You really think a little kid like you can beat me?" He threw the fire at Natsu, following up with several more. Lucy jumped back, “Where’d this dramatic tension come from?”

“He’s a bad guy! Of course there’s dramatic tension!” Happy commented.

Natsu stood in place, flames hurtling at him in great speeds. He grinned, before they all impacted. The place where he stood now covered in smoke.

“Stupid kids,” Bora wiped off the dirt from the rubble off his face. “Always so bent up on justice.."

“That’s because,” The smoke cleared, revealing Natsu wiping his mouth off. He swallowed, bringing his fists together and igniting them. "Justice feels way better than the crap you're doused in."

“Lame!” Lucy yelled.

Natsu surged forward, fists engulfed in flames. He met Bora’s flame with an open mouth, dodging and retaliating against his men on the way. It was astounding, Natsu against a small army. No one could even touch him.

Flipping over a group of men, Natsu landed behind them. His stomach enlarged, mouth gulping in air.

“ _Karyū no_ …” He let out a roar entirely of fire, instantly decimating the remainder of Bora’s men. “ _Hōko!_ ”

“What the hell…” Lucy stared at the flames in shock, quickly shaking her head. “Guess that proves the rumors.”

“Rumors?” Happy asked.

“While I was on the road, I heard a lot about this mage that breathed fire and had the scales of a dragon.” She looked over to the aforementioned mage, currently beating Bora in a new one. “There’s scales, and he breathe’s fire. Salamander, huh?”

“Aye! That’s what people call Natsu. He doesn’t look like a lizard, so it’s kinda useless.”

“Yeah..” She paused, before looking over at Happy incredulously, “Wait a minute, cat. You _knew_ people called Natsu Salamander, and yet you still came here? Looking for a dragon supposedly called Salamander, his _nickname_?”

“Aye!” Happy spun in the air, “I couldn’t stop him!”

“Jeezus christ…” Lucy burrowed her face in her hands, completely thrown back at the sheer stupidity of everything.

She looked back at the battlefield, noticing the lack of blows being exchanged. Natsu stood above Bora, wiping his mouth. He leaned down and grabbed Bora’s collar, headbutting him. Lucy sighed.

“Wasn’t necessary, Natsu.” Happy descended down and next to Lucy.

“Aye…”

* * *

“Are you done yet, Lucy?”

She hummed, finishing off the rest of the paperwork. “Give me a few Natsu…”

The boy groaned, leaning back against the wall. Happy landed on top of his head, staring at Lucy and continuously munching his fish.

“Finished!” Lucy yelled. The clerk smiled, took the paper, and handed Lucy a bag of jewels. Smiling, she dragged Natsu and Happy out with her, fifty-thousand jewels richer.

Natsu stared absentmindedly at her, walking behind her as she dragged him along. “Why’d you get paid?”

“Bora had a bounty on his head from the Titan Nose guild after they caught him trying to drug their guildmaster. Dead or Alive, as long as we turned him in.” She jiggled her bag of newly acquired jewels to Natsu, grinning. “Since we did that, and saved all the girls from that ship, any damages we did to the port was payed for by the royal army since it was seen as an act of incompetence on their part for not being able to figure it out first.”

She reached into the bag and grabbed a handfuls worth, placing it into Natsu’s hand. “Here’s your worth.”

Natsu and Happy stared at each other, before pocketing the money and dancing around Lucy. “Money! Money!”

Lucy laughed at the two, clutching her sides. She swiped the tears from her eyes, stopping abruptly. Natsu noticed the lack of laughter from the girl and stopped as well, following the girls line of sight. His playful expression dropped.

“So,” Lucy sighed, “You’re a member of Fairy Tail?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Natsu frowned, a feeling of guilt washing over him. Natsu knew he didn’t have an obligation to tell her anything about him, seeing how they had just met, but there was a feeling within him that felt guilt from withholding anything from her. He wanted to tell her anything she wanted to know, from his breakfast, to the last pair of underwear he washed last week.

“You don’t have to tell me anything, Natsu.” She smiled at him widely, “I just felt…odd not knowing. You’re a powerful member, and yet this is the only time I’ve heard of your existence? I don’t think I’m a recluse, but at this point I’m baffled.”

“Well,” He grinned, “As long as you know who I am when I’m the strongest, then I can look over this slip up of yours.”

Lucy giggled at his remark, eliciting a grin from Natsu, and a worried laugh from Happy.

Composing herself, she picked up her bag and readied herself.

“Where are you going?” Natsu asked.

“I think it’s time for me to head out.”

“To where?”

“To Fairy Tail.”

Natsu stared at her, confused. “I thought we were going there together? Didn’t I say I was gonna repay you back for the meal?”

“What?” Her mouth opened, “I thought saving me from Bora was your repayment.”

“Why would that be my repayment?” He picked his nose, head tilted in utter confusion. “You’re my friend. I’d save you for free even with no price.”

 _We we’re friends after one encounter?_ Lucy thought, baffled by the young teens trustworthy nature. _He’s a good guy._

“Come on.” He stretched his hand out to her. “I’m taking you to Fairy Tail with me.”

He grinned widely at her wide eyes, “Free of charge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the end of my daily updates. do not look at me like that i only had two chapters written but my outline????? that shits 1000+ pages. goodbye. comments are appreciated


	3. spare me

“So how far away is Fairy Tail?” Lucy asked.

Natsu hummed, “I think an hour or two away from Hargeon?”

“It’s midnight, Natsu.” Lucy deadpanned. Natsu turned to her confused.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Should we continue walking today or should we go get an inn and call it a rest for the night?” 

Natsu creeped away from her, “I’m sorry, Lucy. You’re very attractive but I’m just not interested in you like that.”

Lucy sighed, holding her head. “No, you idiot, not like that.”

Happy flew out of Natsu’s pack in a sleepy daze, flying towards Lucy slowly, arms out for a hug. She caught the sleeping cat gently, embracing him as he nuzzled his face further into her boobs. She ignored it for now, opting the cat get his sleep than be annoying for the rest of the night.

“I think,” Happy started, yawning, “we should get an inn for the night.”

Natsu smiled softly at Happy, walking over to Lucy to pet him. “Alright buddy.”

After a few awkward minutes on Lucy’s part of Natsu softly petting Happy, said idiot stared at her, a look on his face that immediately annoyed her.

“I don’t have any money for an inn.” 

She kicked his shin hard, eliciting a yelp from the teenager. She stared back down at Happy, sleeping peacefully in her arms, and kicked Natsu again. Harder.

* * *

“So you’ve been on the road for a year now?”. She nodded in confirmation, settling down on the bed next to him. Happy laid on the pillow next to Natsu, who was propped up on his elbow, staring at her.

After the short kicking session, the two trudged over to the nearest inn and rented out a room with two beds. The price was a little steep, but the money she got from clearing the bounty was plenty to cover them. Maybe get some room service in the morning, if the two idiots didn’t ruin it. She’d have to see.

“I trained with my spirits mostly, meditation and combat scenarios everyday. If I needed money, I’d freelance for a bit. Stay at an inn, go to the nearest guild and beg for a freelance job.” 

“They have freelance jobs?” 

“Rarely,” she propped up on her elbow and stared back at him, “two to three, most I’ve ever taken on at one guild was ten. They offer good money, but going around and  _ hoping  _ that there’d be a job or two available for at a random guild was too unstable. That’s why I thought of heading to Fairy Tail. Get a stable job, maybe permanently settle at one place.”

“But why Fairy Tail? I know we’re a popular guild, but you’ve probably heard about how chaotic it is in there. Most people I’ve bumped into talking or thinking about joining immediately run away after they see the guild hall.”

“Well I haven’t seen the guild hall yet, Natsu,” she raised a brow at him, causing a ‘shit’ out of his mouth. “But even if it’s as chaotic as you say, I want to try with Fairy Tail.”

He stayed silent at that, looking at the blonde. She was staring at the ceiling, hands on her stomach. She was contemplating something, her fingers occasionally making a beat, feet bouncing along. Was she nervous?

“When I was a kid, I had to go into Magnolia to visit my father.” Lucy blinked at the ceiling, her eyes raw. Her limbs went slack, and the thought of sharing something about her childhood and how he’d fare with information like this, a day into their meeting made her stop for a second. Natsu hummed, and she continued.

“The carriage ride there was bumpy, but it was safe. But… as soon as we came into the city, one of the horses went wild. I guess the old man driving lost control, or maybe he was too old to rein them in, but their ruckus bumped him off. He got pushed off the drivers seat, and I was alone. In a carriage, horses going wild. I was… ten?” She coughed, the silence in the room was hard to bear. “It took a minute or two for the old man to get his surroundings in check, but he managed to get some strangers to help him yell for help. It worked.”

  
Lucy fully turned to Natsu, the boy nodding to her. “What happened?”

“I hear this bump on the front of the carriage, and next I knew the horses and the carriage got disconnected.” 

“That’s good.” Natsu replied, softly. Lucy smiled. “Well I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

He chuckled, and she continued. “I didn’t get to see them, but when I was opening the door, all I saw was the Fairy Tail symbol.”

“Oh.” His mouth a perfect O, “A member of Fairy Tail saved you?”

“Or ex. But ever since, I’ve only ever thought of joining Fairy Tail. Their reputation as a crazy guild didn’t make me lose that thought, not ever.”

They stayed quiet after that, silence surrounding the room. For Lucy, she felt relieved that he stayed the same after she told him. She was happy he was understanding. For Natsu, however, the teenager stayed deep in thought.

A few more minutes passed, Lucy almost succumbing to sleep, when Natsu bolted up abruptly, shaking her awake. 

“Be my partner.” He screamed. Lucy stared at him wide-eyed, confused. “What?”

“My partner. Or teammate. Lucy, be in a team with me and Happy.” Natsu stared at her, his tone serious. Partner? Teammate?

“Wait, what?” She sat up, “Where?”

“Fairy Tail!” 

“You want me to be your partner in Fairy Tail?” She echoed.

“When you join, which is a definite yes after that story you told me.” She stiffened, “Why wouldn’t I want you as my partner? Your goals and reason to join spoke to me, and I just knew you had to be my partner.”

“You’re not weirded out after that story?”

He tilted his head in confusion, and she smiled. He looked like a puppy. “Why would I? You trust me enough with it, and I trust you with my life on the battlefield.”

“My tragic backstory does not equal your life?!” She screeched.

“I know!” His arms were wide now, “But! I trust you, and isn’t that good enough? You trust me, right?”

“We met a few hours ago.” She deadpanned. He stared at her with puppy dog eyes. She sighed, “But yes, I do trust you. You haven’t given me a reason not to.”

He smiled widely, “So?”

Lucy kicked him straight in the stomach. “Partners.”

Natsu groaned, laying on his back as the pain registered in. 

“Partners.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I BROJKE THE TWO CHAPTER CURSE BABY WE'RE IN THERBEHREHRBHEBRHE.
> 
> heres a short chapter that i literally just worked on tonight because iw as like hmmhmhmhmmhmmh..... i ahve so much time and nothing to do. enjoy! :D


	4. its like this, huh?

The morning after passed by in lazy grunts and tired limbs, the trio met with the blinding glare of the rising sun as they made the last trek to Fairy Tail. The air between the two mages, once stiff with awkwardness turned comfortable and warm. 

If someone were to ask Lucy, years down, if her first outing with Natsu was the same as it would be years later, she would shake her head vehemently and grab the person asking to shake them silly of their idiotic thoughts.

Said teen walked the road slightly ahead of her, eyes cast down and body laxed in a way that still gave him enough room to react first in case of an attack. Lucy edged at the back, Happy asleep in her arms as they walked. 

It seemed no matter how outgoing your personality is, a person would always succumb to the awkwardness of the morning after. (She shook her head at that odd comparison, shuddering at the implications) Stroking Happy’s head, she walked up to the boy and nudged him, shaking him from his stupor.

“You okay?” She questioned, staring at his tired eyes. He smiled in return, readjusting the sack on his back.

“I’m fine,” He took Happy from her, cradling him in his arms as he slept the morning away, “It should be just a little more until we make it to the guild.”

At the mention of the guild, his eyes glistened with an even softer look than the one he had previously.

“You said that the guild hall pushed people away sometimes,” She started, “is it bad? Tell me about it.”

Natsu laughed a bit at that, “It’s not that the guild hall is bad, it’s not even the guild hall. Sometimes when people join our guild and visit to see the atmosphere, they’re overwhelmed with how chaotic it is.”

“Chaotic?”

“Okay, so you don’t get overwhelmed like everyone else, here’s your heads up….”

* * *

After an hour had passed filled with laughter at the many stories Natsu told her, the two arrived at Fairy Tail. 

Happy was up now, flying slowly in front of them as they neared the guild doors. 

It was huge. Not comparable to the Heartfilia Mansion huge, but huge in a way that confirmed Natsu’s stories. She took a deep breath as the pink haired teen turned to her and smiled, before he opened the door.

The guild was definitely quieter on the outside, was her first thought. Filling the spacious floor of the guild were wooden tables, filled with conversing members as they sat and drank. She walked behind Natsu as he led her to who knows where, taking in the sights as they came.

At one table sat a nearly naked brunette, handling a barrel of what seemed to be beer like her life depended on it, and occasionally conversed with the old man next to her. Lucy questioned the way he leered at her, but she seemed to have noticed, as she kicked him off the table, barrel tucked in her arms. Occupied with observing the new place, Lucy failed to see and hear the arrival of someone new, yelling Natsu’s name. She did, however, feel the drop in temperature. A thankful clash to the incredibly hot temperature Natsu had around him at all times. 

“Oh my,” Came from a soft voice next to her. Turning, Lucy was met with a great need to bow down to the goddess standing before her. Mirajane, Fairy Tail’s poster girl, stood behind the bar, smiling at the arrival of Natsu and Happy. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Oh, Lucy thought, she’s looking at me. With the beginning of a fight behind her, she rushed herself to give Mirajane a reply back. 

“It’s nice to meet you, too.” She stuttered slightly, barely managing to say the words in a stable voice. Mirajane smiled, “Are you here to file a complaint? Our master should be coming back in soon, if you don’t mind waiting.”

“What?” Lucy shook the confusion off, “Actually, I’m here to join the guild.”

Mirajane looked surprised, staring back and forth between her and the dust behind her, holding her partner as he fought with admirable vigor. “Alright, wait here, please.” 

Nodding, Lucy sat down on the barstool obediently, watching as the ethereal beauty up and walked to the back. Willing herself far too much to look away, she was met with a smack of clothing to her face. 

Disgusted, she picked it off and nearly gagged, the said clothing being a pair of mens boxers. She looked for Natsu, finding him off to the side, now deeply involved in an odd mosh pit of bodies fighting. Balling the piece of clothing up, she threw it to the gang of bodies, hitting her target. Natsu was pushed by the amount of magic she had embedded the clothing with, and glared at her direction, grinning as soon as he saw that it was her, arm outstretch.

“Lucy!” Natus yelled, “Come get your stamp already and join us!”

She yelled back vehemently, “No thanks I’m good!”

Pouting, he engulfed his fist with flames and punched the naked guy next to him.

Naked?

“What the hell…” Lucy whispered. 

A giggle erupted from behind her, and Lucy turned, met with Mirajane holding up what seemed to be the guild stamp. 

“Where do you want it?” She asked. Lucy scanned her body; arms, shoulder, legs and hands in her mind, before landing on a spot that seemed right to her. Inching her right hand forward, Mirajane smiled and stamped.

The item left her hand with a colorful pop, revealing the same guild mark Natsu had so passionately shown her back at their hotel room before, only this time this mark was hers, and her mark was a deep scarlet red. 

“Thank you.” Lucy let out, staring at the mark with breathless wonder. Staring at it, she knew its new place on her hand would mean something else for her entirely, and she couldn’t help but wait to find out what it was. 

She jumped off to find out where Natsu went, scurrying to find her partner, who was definitely lost in the smoke of fighting guild members ( _ her  _ guild members now). Happy followed her, the previously quiet cat now chatting her ear off.

“So how do you feel, Lucy?” He asked teasingly, “Feeling the Fairy Tail spirit now?”

She smiled at him, flicking the dumb cat on his head. “I sure do.”

“Lucy!” Yelled out a voice. Natsu came running towards her, looking slightly beaten up, but no exhaustion remained. Still full of spirit, he scanned her body all over, comically jumping to and fro her front and back to look for her new guild mark. She lifted her right hand up, stopping the manic teenager from jumping until she couldn’t see him anymore. 

“Woah!” He marveled, holding her hand up, looking at mark like he’d never seen it before. He lifted his shoulder up to show his after dropping her hand, and her eyes opened slightly. 

“We’re matching!” They said in unison, high-fiving at the revelation. Happy floated near behind them, smiling at the display. He held back on his remark, on how Lucy’s was darker, closer to blood red than Natsu’s was, who’s mark was more of a resemblance to Igneel’s scales. He held back, yelling an appropriate “Aye!” once they started laughing together. 

“Who’s the new chick?” Came a deep voice, and Lucy felt it again. The drop in temperature, clashing with Natsu’s inhumane heat. She welcomed it, having liked the cold far more than heat growing up. She, however, did not welcome the naked teen standing next to her.

She shrieked slightly, letting out a meek, “You’re..naked.”

He looked down and shrieked himself, worrying and scurrying around to find his boxers, muttering, “How did that happen?” under his breath.

Happy floated towards him with a pair of black boxers, throwing it onto his head. The teen gladly accepted, putting it on in front of Lucy with no remorse, who refused to look down until he was done. He coughed, and she took that as a signal that he was done, and he was, thankfully. 

“Well?” He asked, “who’s the new chick?”

“I’m Lucy,” She smiled, “I’m-”

“She’s my new partner!” Natsu interrupted, wrapping his arm around her shoulder with a friendly grin. She nodded to the half-naked teen, who seemed surprised at the remark.

“Partner, huh?” He smirked at the two of them, “Gray Fullbuster. I suggest you leave flame-brain behind and team up with people who are actually worth your time.”

“Say that to my face Stripper!” Natsu growled, pushing against Gray as the two headbutted.

“I just did, didn’t I?” Gray growled in response, pushing back with equal force. The two continued the tug and pull, before they fully brawled. The dust from earlier rose up again as the two rode off into the guild hall, erupting fights with almost everyone they bumped into.

“So it was him earlier, huh.” Lucy laughed meekly. 

Before Lucy knew it, the guild erupted into a full on brawl, started from Natsu and Gray’s little kiddush dispute. Bodies flew haphazardly, bottles and the wooden tables that so preciously adorned the floors earlier following suite. Lucy backed up to Mirajane, ducking at anything coming near her.

“So this is normal, huh?” She grinned at Mirajane. Mirajane smiled in response, falling over as a bottle smashed onto her head, seemingly coming from nowhere. 

“Mira!” Lucy yelled in surprise, hopping over the bar. She helped the now bleeding barmaid from the floor, wiping the blood away with a bubble of Aqua. Mira seemed surprised at this, and Lucy had to smile a little, embarrassed as she held her finger to her lips, hoping the other mage would get it. Mira winked in response, and the two watched on from the behind the bar, the guild perhaps even louder than before.

“Yeah!” Natsu yelled from on top a pile of bodies, “Who wants more?!”

Gray groaned in annoyance from beside him, slowing going from a relaxed posture to a battle ready stance, his hand balled into a fist on top of his open palm. Emerging from his hands came a frosty mist, reaching even Mira and Lucy. “Time to knock you down a peg, flame brain.”

The brunette from earlier, one who was seemingly so engrossed in her beer, chugged back the remainder of perhaps her tenth barrel of the hour. She stood up dizzily from the table and readied a pair of cards Lucy didn’t recognize. She bradished them like knives, “Pack it up boys, you’re ruining my drinking time.” 

“Man, you guys are so embarrassing.” Came a voice from her right. Sat between a pile of girls was an orange-haired man Lucy could only describe as a wannabe pimp. He fixed his rings as he stood up from the pile, walking forward as a magic circle emerged from them. 

“Not manly at all!” Bellowed a humongous man as he stomped forward as well. He looked strikingly like Mirajane, but where Mira was petit and small, this man reminded Lucy of the giants her mother had read to her about when she was a kid.

“Oh, my.” Mira softly remarked. She didn’t look worried at all, for someone in a position to be harmed. Turning towards the crowd, Lucy turned into a stance as well.

“Be careful where you guys aim your magic.” She warned, edging her feet deeper into the ground. They all smirked at that.

“Newbie has balls.” Said the brunette, looking at Natsu as he revved his arm up. “Where’d you find her, Natsu?”

“Hargeon!” He replied, jumping up and down, turning his neck, cracking it. 

“Newbie is right here..” She muttered. They all stood at a standstill, waiting for someone to make the first move. Unsurprisingly, Natsu screamed in frustration and jumped up, aimed straight for Lucy. 

“Let’s test you out, Lucy!” He dove towards her, and Lucy smirked, digging her foot even deeper into the ground, ready for him. Before she could show him anything, a titan’s fist came down from the sky and punched him down. 

“SIMMER DOWN.” Roared the shadowed titan, and Lucy yelped in obedience, sitting down automatically. She held her breath, waiting to see what would happen, before the figure shrank down into a small man dressed as a jester, fitted with the hat and shoes and everything. The only thing missing were the bells.

He approached her, jumping onto the bar to get a closer look, before nodding. 

“Welcome to the guild, child.” He jumped higher this time, right onto a wobbly railing at the top of the guild hall, whistling a sailors whistle, gathering everyone’s unwavering attention. 

“You’ve gone and done it again, you nimbwits!” He yelled, holding up a stack of papers, “Just come and look at the amount of paperwork the magic council has sent me. This is the biggest pile of complaints yet!” He shook the papers as he continued, shaking in place. Everyone stayed in their spot, and had Lucy not been new to the guild, she would have laughed at the scene. Like a bunch of little kids getting scolded by their teacher.

“All you kids are good for is getting me in trouble. However,” He lifted up the stack and lit them aflame, “I say to heck with those magic council goons.” He threw the flaming stack of papers to Natsu, who gladly accepted it with his mouth.

“Listen here, any power that surpasses reason, still comes from reason, right? Magic isn’t some kind of miraculous power. It’s the culmination of the flow of energy within you and the flow of energy in the natural world coming together in perfect harmony. Performing magic requires one to have a strong mind, and a strong will. It’s not tied down by rules. If all we do is worry about some measly words written on paper, than one will never progress.” He smirked, “Don’t let those fools on the council scare you! Follow what you believe in.” 

He lifted his hand into the air, forming to look like what seemed to be an angled check mark. The guild members followed suite, a harmonious “Yeah!”, followed by the tiny man yelling into the crowd, “That’s what makes Fairy Tail, NUMBER ONE!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOAHHHHHHH
> 
> i am so sorry for getting this out so late. originally, i was gonna have this out by the 17th because i had a shit ton of hw, and most definitely trying to run away. but the date came and went, i had online school... things happened. online school is HORRIRBLELLELE, btw. anyways, i would not have gotten this chapter out this soon if i hadn't gotten quite a few comments. it definitely sped the process up of writing, and they were great motivators. thank you for the comments! im horrible at responding to anything, so i apologize for not responding to any of them. 
> 
> this chapter was definitely not gonna end there, where it is now. originally, i was gonna go and finish up the whole "macao stuck on mission he maybe dead brrrrrrrr :(" thing, but i was like "that's gonna take me ten fucking months" so i just posted this. imma...imma go so fast with writing the next chapter i swear bro i swear. 
> 
> catch me on twitter, btw! @cerceIis definitely active as hell on there, and i just made a new one, so its fresh as hell. the L is not an L its a capital i, so just copy and paste. drop... something on my cc. 
> 
> stan red velvet and purple kiss <3\. enjoy the chapter. or not.

**Author's Note:**

> hello and yes, before any reviews are made, i am aware of the fact that this story name is named exactly after the minecraft texture pack. thats literally why i named it to this.  
> faithful is a very simple change to the game, never changing too much and only ever changing enough. thats essentially what i want 256 (as calling it faithful would suck lmao 256 sounds cooler) to be. a simple, yet very effective change to the story. but i guess i should call this chroma 256 in that case? regardless, lets just say this story falls under any form of the faithful texture pack that currently exists out there. 
> 
> id also like to warn anybody who didn't read the tags that this is gonna be an erlu ship. i could never for the life of me write an ft fic that wasn't an erlu centered fic, or at the very least one of the wlw ships. 
> 
> another warning, there will be changes to certain arcs and some changes may be major and may be minor in scale so i hope none of you are disgusted that id be going against canon and changing it to my will because regardless of the change, i do promise that i'll do my best to tie it into canon as best as i can. 
> 
> ALSO! since we're all familiar with fairy tail and their fights, 256 is a retelling yes, but i'll will ever only focus on character relationships. i will gloss over fights.


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